"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
He stood like a statue
As he was beaten across the face
With a horse whip
Where the wounds already exist
A well-oiled rifle
And never lonely, Marlon JD
If you want to come down, come down
Give him some dignity
So see, so see Marlon J.D.
So see, so see Marlon J.D.
Learn to live without clutter
To live without luxury
Sometimes I envy them
Goodnight yourself, Marlon JD
He did not defend himself
He didn't even raise his hand
I will not beg because
This is how I am
So see, so see Marlon J.D.
So see, so see Marlon J.D.
"Bare floors, plain white walls.
No window curtains, nothing but essentials.
With no luxuries, no ornamentation,
Utter simplicity.
But it's also clean,
It's clean as a rifle."
So see, so see Marlon J.D.
So see, so see Marlon J.D.
"And, and they're never lonely
And sometimes I envy them"
As he was beaten across the face
With a horse whip
Where the wounds already exist
A well-oiled rifle
And never lonely, Marlon JD
If you want to come down, come down
Give him some dignity
So see, so see Marlon J.D.
So see, so see Marlon J.D.
Learn to live without clutter
To live without luxury
Sometimes I envy them
Goodnight yourself, Marlon JD
He did not defend himself
He didn't even raise his hand
I will not beg because
This is how I am
So see, so see Marlon J.D.
So see, so see Marlon J.D.
"Bare floors, plain white walls.
No window curtains, nothing but essentials.
With no luxuries, no ornamentation,
Utter simplicity.
But it's also clean,
It's clean as a rifle."
So see, so see Marlon J.D.
So see, so see Marlon J.D.
"And, and they're never lonely
And sometimes I envy them"
Lyrics submitted by deltasunlight
Marlon J.D. Lyrics as written by Nicholas Jones James Bradfield
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
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The verse about being whipped in the face was a reference to the Marlon Brando film “Reflections In A Golden Eye”, which Nicky says was one of Richey’s favorite movies. He also lifted the “Learn to live without clutter” line from the film.
“So see, so see Marlon J.D.”
Maybe J.D. doesn’t stand for James Dean and I’m way off. But assuming it does, Dean and Brando were briefly mirror images of each other: two 1950s film icons, sex symbols, beloved actors. But their lives took two different paths. James Dean died young and beautiful in an auto accident, he’s frozen in time forever as he was in “Rebel Without A Cause”. Marlon Brando lived a long life, lost his good looks and due to his erratic behavior lost the same favor he had with people in the 1950s. And although Brando is thought of highly as one of the greatest actors to ever live, Dean’s brief career was untarnished and gets to be viewed in the “what might have been light”. For all we know it would have been Dean embarrassing himself at Michael Jackson’s 2001 Madison Square Garden concert if he had lived. But he left the world at the top of his game and for a lot of people (including Richey unfortunately) that is desirable compared to declining in later life as all humans do.